Plant DNA breakthrough


16 December 1999



Plant DNA breakthrough


AN Anglo-American research team has made a breakthrough in announcing the first complete DNA sequence of plant chromosomes.

Researchers at The Institute for Genomic Research in Maryland, USA, the John Innes Centre in Norwich and 33 other laboratories in the USA and Europe have worked out the genetic code of chromosomes 2 and 4 of the tiny weed Arabidopsis thaliana.

The discovery raises the possibility of developing plants that are more nutritious, can produce drugs and chemicals and grow in poor soil.

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